The Envoy
by AERTHLUVA
Summary: After an uneventful year on Gaia, June finds herself searching for thrills. However, after a trip to Gongaga, things take a turn for the worse. Loved ones are lost, and the world is once again plunged into chaos. However, this new threat comes from a place unexpected. The final battle for Gaia has begun.
1. Chapter 1

-Happily Ever After-

"A-Alright, 2...alright, and...alright."

June pushes her shoulder against the phone at her ear as she begins pushing various types of potions into a large paper bag.

"Um...actually...we're out of those, but I have a batch in that back that's coming together just fine...it'll be done by tomorrow...OK."

She folds the mouth of the bag back before reaching under the table to grab a pen and piece of paper, "so your name's...Christina Rena, OK...so tomorrow the Elixer'll be finished and I'll send it right off! OK, have a nice day...and thank you for shopping at In the Speed of Strife!"

With a sigh, she places the cordless phone back on the receiver, for a moment she stays there, staring at the paper bag but then she remembers the Elixir, "oh better get started on that!"

As she goes to rush toward the back, the phone rings again.

She slides into the counter as she pulls it to her ear, "In the Speed of Strife, June speaking!"

Clearly, the caller did not feel her enthusiasm about the call, June winces when they begin to scream in her ear, "uh...what do you mean...it was crushed," she looks toward the stairs when she hears a small thud from the upper level.

"I'm sorry SIr, how about we redo your order, free of charge."

The man calms down at this, June nods as she rushes over to the line of tall glass shelves near the counter, "OK, so you wanted 3 Remedy's...2 Maiden's Kiss', and three Ether's," she frowns as she begins to pull the Ether's from the case, they were one of the more expensive things in the store, it hurt her to part with them, especially since she put so much work and time into them.

Once against she pushes her shoulder to ear as she slides the vials into a bubble wrap bag, she then pushes that bag into a paper one.

"OK Sir, have a nice day." She places the phone on the receiver before leaning against the counter again, "ugh...so tire-, my Elixir!"

She wipes her hands on her pants as she rushes to the back room, once she gets there, she's met with unpleasant odor of spoiled Elixir.

"NO!"

She rushes over to a shelf at the back the room, where she finds heavy heat resistant gloves, she slides them onto her hands as she goes around again to face the ruined mixture.

_**So this, is my life now. **_

"Bleh!" She lifts the cast iron pot away from the stove and over to the sink, the smell was enough to make her eyes water, it was like mix of oven cleaner and rotten eggs.

She tilts the pot into the sink and the black liquid within comes spilling out, usually Elixir's were a brilliant green color, the color darkening so quickly just meant that she hadn't done it right, or had the fire turned up too high.

_**I'm the partial owner of a cute little establishment called 'In the Speed of Strife', got a nice ring to it huh?**_

June pushes the pot aside when she notices that the mixture wasn't going down the drain, "agh not again!"

_**It was something that...believe it or not, Denzel came up with. Since I'm good with chemistry and Cloud's on delivery, why not?**_

She runs over to the entrance of the room, she didn't want to have to unclog the drain, not after what happened last time, she ended up with gunk all over her body, but she didn't want to bother anyone, she glances back at the sink.

"No choice."

She pushes her hair back before placing her hands against the sink, "all right here goes...Aero!"

A large gush of wind pushes into drain and the gunk slowly drains away, she breathes a sigh of relief when a growl rises from the sink as the liquid disappears.

June turns her back to the sink as she folds her arms, she looks toward the window at the far side of the room, "I just wanna go to sleep."

_**Quickly, we grew in popularity. We're the only store like this...anywhere, I make the potions at home and Cloud delivers them. I know it may sound simple, but I put something special into every potion...some of them do more than one thing at once, and well, the people love it.**_

_**Heh-heh, we even do weapon upgrades...but only on certain days.**_

June leans over as she presses her hands to her eyes, she grimaces when she feels the rough material of the gloves against her face.

From where she stood, she could hear someone entering the store, she takes a deep breath as she pushes her hair back.

"Time to go change some lives!"

When she makes her way to the counter, instead of having orders barked at her, she's met with the smiles of Marlene and Shoji.

"Hey kids, what brings you to this side of town?" She mutters as she goes to the refrigerator to get some snacks for them.

_**Oh yeah...we still live in Edge, but Cloud insisted on moving to the far side, as if that changed anything. We're only 15 minutes away by foot, and by bike or airship...forget about it.**_

"We're selling candy for school-."

"I'll buy some but Marlene you know I'm on a diet," June pulls a tray of assorted vegetables from the top shelf of the refrigerator before placing it before them, "eat up!"

Marlene and Shoji look to one another when she smiles at them.

"But June, you don't have to eat it, we can eat it...you just buy it!" Shoji whispers as June reaches for a celery stick.

June quirks a brow when they slide a large box of candy onto the table, it held the usual: Choco-Chocolatiers, Gold Saucers, Rainbow-Bursts, and...Goblin Malts.

This takes June by surprise, every day that week children had been coming to sell her candy, but not one of them held Goblin Malts.

"Where did you get those," June murmurs as she flicks the celery back onto the plate, Marlene smiles as she and Shoji look to one another again.

"We're just starting out so-."

"Give me 10," June slaps 20 Gil onto the table before Marlene's has the chance to finish.

Shoji grins as he reaches into the box, he grabs a handful of Goblin Malts before placing them on the counter before June, "it was nice doing business with you."

June eyes him apprehensively as she tears into one of the boxes, "you're trying to harm my diet?"

Shoji laughs when she tilts the box back and the malts fall into her mouth, quickly she stuffs the empty box under the counter.

"Can't let Cloud see this, he doesn't believe that I can really be on a diet." She whispers as she drops down to stuff the box in a small corner, "we made a bet so-."

"Marlene, Shoji...didn't hear you guys come in."

June freezes when she hears Cloud's heavy footsteps against the stairs, she looks up at him when he moves to stand next to her.

"What are you doing?" He mutters as she rises to face him.

June shoots the children a look that says 'be quiet...or else', "ah nothing...just looking for some Gil to give the kids to help them out."

Cloud quirks a brow when she slides an extra 20 Gil across the table, he looks at the pile of candy and then at her again.

"Did you buy that?" He folds his arms when she begins pushing the candy toward the kids.

"Of course not...I brought it for them." She shoves the candy into the arms of the children before turning to him with a reassuring smile.

"If you did, I don't care June...you don't need to-."

"It's not mine!"

Cloud sighs when she quickly reaches for another piece of celery, "you don't need to diet..."

June smiles at him, in his eyes she could see that he truly meant it.

_**One of the many things I love about my man.**_

"Hey Cloud you wanna buy some cand."

He pauses when June shoots a glare his way, "ah never mind...come on Marlene."

June nods when he scoots out of his chair, how greedy could he be? He had already gotten too much Gil from her.

"Um June, is it alright if I come back later...Shoji's going home and Denzel and my dad are out on errands, it's gonna be boring there, especially since Yu-."

"Don't." Cloud raises his hand as Marlene comes to stand before them. "Just come back...but don't say her name."

June sniggers and he looks at her, "oh Cloud...it's not that bad."

"It's not?"

_**Funny story, when we finished building our home...turns out, Yuffie had found one of her own...next door, in the second floor apartment. Not that she's there a lot though, she also goes to stay with Godo every now and then, her not being there all the time has done wonders for their relationship.**_

"OK, and I'll come back too!" Shoji calls as he pulls the door open.

Cloud grunts at this. Shoji was was not one of his favorite kids.

"Oh and tell Yuffie that I got the Gold Saucer's for her," Shoji calls back to them as he and Marlene leave the store.

"Did he just-."

"Who said my name!"

Cloud grimaces when Yuffie rushes into the store, she strikes a pose at the door when June waves to her.

"Who told you to come in?" Cloud grumbles as he turns to the stairs.

Yuffie moves closer to the bar with a grin, "this is a public place of business, it'd be different if I just rushed upstairs...that's like your domain."

Cloud turns to her, "everything here...this whole building is my domain."

Yuffie nods, "so what are you sayin' Cloud?"

June pushes Cloud aside as she goes to diffuse the situation, "what he's saying is...well I don't what he's saying, got any good news for me though."

Yuffie nods, she goes into her pocket to retrieve her map-pad, "yup, found some old ruins near Gongaga, may have some stuff there."

"Could we go now!?" June asks excitedly.

"But I-"

They turn to Cloud when he goes to say something but as they do, he just shuts down, June folds her arms and Yuffie sighs.

"What wrong Cloud?"

He shrugs a shoulder before turning to go up the stairs, Yuffie pats June on the shoulder saying, "he's just being an old fuddy-duddy."

June sighs.

_**Since building this place, and taking on the duties of a store manager...I'd become a little boring. That is, until Yuffie came around. Now, for fun, and for the government, we explore the little nooks and crannies of the planet. Searching for answer's to what is called, 'The Jenova Question'.**_

_**It's a paid program for people who have interest in helping the government and finding out more about the planet, Yuffie joined because she says she never wants to see the world crumble again and I joined because...I was kind of forced into it. All former Ark members are automatically enrolled, I don't mind, because it's fun.**_

_**But Cloud...**_

"Let me go check on him." June mutters as she rushes up the stairs, she walks past two empty bed rooms as she makes her way to their room, when she enters, she finds Cloud tapping away at his phone. "Cloud..."

He looks up when she sits on the bed next to him, she takes his arm and he sighs.

"You don't have to stay, I just wanted...to..."

She gives him a knowing smile, "I know."

_**Since he does deliveries, we're rarely ever together for too long. So when he's home...I try to make him as comfortable as possible, and I try to make up for the lost time. But it's hard, because while we just want to get lost in each other, the world around us continues on, and if we don't catch up, we'll be left behind.**_

"I don't want to leave you, I just thought that since you were so tired when you got home, it'd be best to let you rest," she whispers nuzzling her face into his neck, "but I want to stay with you...since you're up...I gonna stay with you."

She looks up at him and he shakes his head.

"I know how important this is to you, how much you like it...so." He says laying back on the bed. "I don't leave until late tomorrow anyway, so go on...it's getting dark."

"Cloud-."

"Go have your fun." He closes his eyes as a small smile builds at his lips. "I do need some rest...when you get home-."

"What's takin' you guys so long." Yuffie calls from downstairs.

June giggles when Cloud's eyes shoot open, he sits up as he turns attention back to June, she moves over to stand before him, "thanks Cloud."

She bends down to give him a quick kiss on the lips but more of Yuffie's complaining interrupts that, Cloud shakes his head laying down again.

"When you get home."

"I look forward to it," June whispers to him as she presses her lips to his cheek, she waves to him before leaving the room.

When she makes it downstairs she gives Yuffie a thumb's up, "let's move out!"

* * *

_**Getting to Gongaga was easy, since we were working with the government, we got free access to Mat-Boards. But when we arrived, the weather took a turn for the worst.**_

"Got a reading yet?" June calls to Yuffie over sound of thunder crashing in the distance.

Yuffie bends down on her Mat-Board as she holds her scanner toward the ruins, "nothing yet..."

June nods to her before she pushes her Mat-Board closer to the ruins, she pushes her goggles up when she gets close enough to see.

Though thick sheets of rain fell around them, and the moon was blocked out by clouds, she could see clearly into the ruins.

"Rocks, shadows...ro-, what the..." Her eyes widen when she catches sight of what looks like a flash of light from within in the ruins. "What was that?"

She reaches to her side to get her scanner, she tries to press the power button as another flash appears from within the ruins but her wet finger slips, "come...on."

She punches the button and the scanner lights up, she holds it toward the ruins when it begins to make small clicking noises, on the screen she gets a cold blue image of the inside of the ruins, she could see water dripping from it's high roof onto the floor, and the scurrying of small creatures along it's seemingly iridescent walls.

"Was I just-." suddenly a tall figure appears on the scanner, and another, and then another.

June gasps when the bright white blobs take on human form, "there's people in there!"

Yuffie moves over to June when she hears her cry out, "what's goin' on!?"

June turns her scanner toward Yuffie to show her the people within, Yuffie quirks a brow at the screen.

"Why would anyone be in there, you think that their one of us...if so we need to find something and get out of here so that we can get the credit."

June looks at the scanner again, from these figures, she didn't get a good feeling, they seemed ominous. Why would anyone go into mysterious ruins in the middle of the night, it didn't seem safe, and it was impossible that they were Shinra operatives, when June pointed her scanner at the cave it would have shown that other members had been there recently.

_**We have to document everything...**_

"But Y-."

As she goes to speak one of the people seem to turn directly to the scanner, June gasps when she sees the outline of their eyes as they stare back at her through the screen, slowly the other two people seem to take notice of the still one.

"Yuffie...look." June whispers pointing to the screen, Yuffie gasps when she looks down at the cold white people shaped lights.

"June..I don't get a good feeling about thi-."

The scanner suddenly shuts off.

"What...why," June slaps the dead scanner against her hand, "I charged it all night...and it's water proof...what the-."

As she goes to hit the scanner again, it powers back on, once again the ruins were empty.

Yuffie pushes closer to June to get a better look, "what the...this is...weird."

June nods, it was weird, too weird for her. She no longer felt comfortable, she felt like she was being watched by something or maybe even someone.

"We should just put this in the log, and...go home." June whispers placing her scanner back at her hip.

Yuffie nods, "I'm with ya on that one!"

She bends down on her Mat-Board as it begins to zoom forward, June however, drifts in her spot for a moment.

_**What was that?**_

"Come on June, what are ya waitin' for!?"

June spins on her board to face the direction in which Yuffie had went, "coming."

It seemed that no matter how far away they got, June's mind remained at the ruins, she looks aside as Yuffie begins telling her stories about Wutai and Godo...

_**That person, they stared right at me... But no, how could they have known, that's not possible.**_

"Am I right, or am I right!?" Yuffie exclaims extending her arms. "June...are ya listening!?"

June gasps when Yuffie waves her hand toward her, she smiles, "you're right!"

* * *

"Mmm, something smells good."

June smiles at Yuffie when they enter the store, clearly Cloud hadn't rested like he'd planned to, she pulls as her soaked tank top as they make their way over to the front counter, the smell was even stronger there.

"So, now we add in the onions."

Yuffie slides into a seat as she looks toward the back room, "Marlene's cookin'?"

"I think so...I'm not sure how she makes it...but according to this book...yeah."

June sits across from her, "and Cloud...I'm scared."

Suddenly Cloud and Marlene emerge from the kitchen holding two bowls, Cloud's eyes widen when he locks eyes with June, he looks down at his bowl in a way that showed his embarrassment.

"We were-."

"Smells good." June murmurs coming around the counter, she smiles at him as she takes the spoon from his bowl to taste what looked like soup to her. She scoops some up before pulling the spoon into her mouth, he grimaces when her eyes widen, she pulls the spoon away slowly.

"Cloud...this is...amazing!"

He blushes when she pulls the bowl away from him, "I...tried to follow a recipe but things started going wrong."

June grins at him, "it's better than mine!"

"You got that right!" June turns to Yuffie who stood across from her now, she also held a bowl of soup and a spoon, Marlene looks to June for help when Yuffie holds it away from her.

"Yuffie you could have gotten your own." June mutters walking into the kitchen to get Marlene some more.

Yuffie sighs when she hands Marlene the bowl, "fine...take it back."

Marlene gasps when she sees the shallow pool of soup at the bottom of the bowl, her lower lip trembles when she looks up at Yuffie, "y-you...a-a-ate it all!"

Yuffie laughs nervously when June emerges from the kitchen holding two more bowls of soup, "ah come on kid, there's more...heh-heh."

Marlene glares at her when June takes the empty bowl and replaces it with a full one, she turns sharply away from Yuffie as she begins to eat.

"Yeesh, you guys need to lighten up." Yuffie mutters as she moves for the door. "I think you guys need to really look at yourselves and ask yourselves, 'self...am I being a jerk today'!"

June hands Cloud the other fresh bowl before turning to Yuffie, "Yuffie...you need to ask yourself that sometimes."

Yuffie gasps, "June..., fine...I'll go...but I'm never coming back!"

She frowns at June as she pulls the door open, "and I mean it...never!"

Cloud waves his hand at her, "go on."

"But I mean it, I'll never come back, I swear!"

June leans against the counter as Yuffie begins to back into the street, "if that's what you feel you must do."

"Seriously!"

Cloud sighs looking at June and she smiles, he sets his bowl down as he turns to Yuffie.

"Goodbye!"

Yuffie gasps when June waves to her, "oh so it's really like that h-..., Barret!"

Barret enters the shop past Yuffie, he nods to her as he begins to make his way over to the counter, "hey there June, Spiky, Marlene...ready to go?"

Marlene sets her bowl aside when Barret bends down before her, "yeah, let's go!"

She pushes herself of off the stool before running over to the coat-rack, she grabs her bright green jacket as she turns to June and Cloud.

"Thanks for dinner, I really enjoyed it!"

June looks to Cloud when he nods to her, "come back soon."

"I will." She breathes as she pulls her jacket on. "We're getting another order of Goblin Malts soon so-."

June brings her finger to her lips just in time for Marlene to notice, she places her hand at the back of her head as she begins to search for something else to say.

"I uh...I uh...yeah, I'll be back soon!"

She takes Barret's hand and they make their way over to the door, when they make it to the threshold, Barret turns to Cloud and June again.

"Eh, Tifa wants to know when you guys are gonna visit," he mutters smiling at them, "since getting this place you two been missin' in action!"

"Oh yeah...tell her that we're sorry," June walks around the counter to pick up Marlene's plate, " I was supposed to go there today but...things got too busy."

Barret smiles at her, "yeah I'm sure she'll understand, but just come through soon alright, she's starting to feel neglected."

He turns to leave but once again comes face to face with Yuffie, she places her hands at her hips when he quirks a brow at her.

"Oh so you're gonna act funny too!"

Barret looks to Cloud for an explanation, Cloud tosses his head back with a sigh.

"Bye Barret, take her with you."

June sniggers when Barret turns to Yuffie again, this time he looked at her with slight annoyance.

"Alright-alright, let's go." He mutters grabbing her by the arm.

Yuffie glares at Cloud as Barret pulls her away, "I'll be back you know!"

June sighs when the door closes, "what happened to her not coming back..."

"Well that's not a problem for me..."

June smiles when Cloud moves behind her, he snakes his arms around her waist as he buries his face in her hair.

"We never get to be alone."

June looks down at his arms, "not true we do get some alone time."

Cloud pulls away slightly to look at her face, "it's never uninterrupted."

He yanks her around to face him and she laughs.

_**He's right, our times alone are usually ruined by something or someone. Customers...Avalanche...Yuffie...deliveries...Yuffie.**_

She brings her hands to the sides of his face as he begins to pull her toward the stairs, "so I'm guessing you want uninterrupted time, huh?"

He smiles dragging her closer.

June pulls away to lean against the railing, he grabs her hand when she smiles at him, he pulls her hand into his own making her smile grow even more.

"Well let's go make u-."

At this the phone rings, they look to one another with slight disappointment.

"I'll get it." June whispers as she begins to make her way down the stairs, but as she sets foot on the landing. Cloud grabs her wrist again.

"Cloud..."

He lifts her into his arms as he turns back into the stairs, "let it ring."

June laughs when he begins to climb the stairs, "you're gonna be mad when it's time to pay bills."

He shakes his head, "maybe, but tonight...I'm going to be a very happy man."

Silence follows his words as he makes his way to their bedroom, he looks at her as he kicks the door open.

"Ooooh so romantic," she teases when he walks in and kicks the door shut.

_**So yeah heh-heh, this is my life now...**_

The next morning, June awakens to the sound of Cloud scuffling around at the end of the bed, she pushes the covers away from her head so as to get a better look at him.

"Ugh." She moans when she notices the keys to Fenrir in his hand. "Going so soon?"

He nods to her as he bends down to tie up his boots, "going to the Western Continent today, gotta get moving early...if I don't...I won't be back home until...tomorrow."

June beats the blankets away as she sits up in the bed to watch him.

Cloud moved about the room in the speed of light, she sighs, she always hated to see him go, it was like a blur of motion and then he was gone.

_**He's says that he does it that way so that he can get back to me as quickly as possible.**_

She sighs when he does his routine walk over to the bed, he bends down to kiss her on the forehead but she tilts her head up to kiss him on the lips.

"See you soon." She whispers when he pulls away.

He nods to her as he turns to leave, but as he makes it to the door he looks at her again.

"I...I want to take a vacation...just us two."

June nods, she wanted that too.

_**But it'll never happen, we've been planning this vacation since the beginning of time.**_

"I'll be back tonight." He whispers when he notices that his prior try at making her feel better didn't work.

She nods again.

_**And his trips never last just a day.**_

"See you tonight then," she says giving him her best smile.

He raises a hand to her before leaving the room.

As his footsteps fade, June's happiness does as well.

_**I didn't want to build this place together, for us to be alone anyway. Maybe Cloud's used to it, but I'm definitely not.**_

June looks to the door when the phone downstairs begins to ring.

_**And that's the next wave of orders, another three or four days he'll be away after only a day home.**_

June takes a deep breath before pulling back the covers and crawling out of the bed, "another day in my paradise."

_**Wash, rinse, repeat.**_

_**That's how it always goes, and for a long time I was happy with just that, but I want something more, I thought that rejoining the Shinra would be my thing but it still leaves lonely hours.**_

_**I grow tired of the monotony, I grow tired of never seeing Cloud...and it's all because of this phone.**_

June goes to slam the phone down onto the receiver but mid-slam she stops herself, she sighs letting it fall from her hand and it gently falls onto the receiver.

"Come on June you gotta get it together," she whispers as reluctant tears fill her eyes.

_**Such a baby.**_

She thrusts her hands into her face as she turns to fill the customers order, but as she does the shop door opens behind her.

"Welcome to In The Speed of Strife, I'm June...how may I help you."

She gets the words out before she even turns to the customer, but as she does, she regrets not doing so.

The man that stood before her, looked nothing like the typical customer.

He stared down at her with his cold silver eyes, his upper lip was curled back in a vicious sneer, though it looked as if pained him to do so, his skin looked like it was carved from rock.

His harsh looks were augmented by the steely blue spiked stands that fell to the back of his neck, June gulps when she looks down at his body.

She could see every bulging muscle through his blue and black body suit.

"?...?"

June nods as she goes to reach for a glass under the counter but when her hand reaches it, she pauses.

_**What?**_

She peers up at the man half expecting him to strike her, but she's met with a cold smile.

He nods toward the glass when she wraps her fingers around it.

"You...want water." She utters nervously.

He quirks a brow when she begins to carry the glass into the kitchen, "?...? ?"

June cringes when she hears him speak, the language in which he spoke was so sharp and strange to her ears.

"Um...I'm sorry sir," she whispers as she fills the glass, she turns to bring it to him. "But I don't understand."

He watches her almost apprehensively as he pulls the glass away from her, he brings edge of the glass to his lips but his gaze stayed on her.

Once the cool water meets his bottom lip, he begins gulping it down. With what seemed to be two large gulps, he had drank the entire glass, he sets it on the counter with a sigh.

June smiles nervously at the glass when he begins to stare at her, "that better?"

She's startled when he speaks.

"Much better."

He smiles at her as he turns to leave, but he pauses mid-step.

"Is there something wrong," June whispers looking down at the glass.

He looks at her over his shoulder when she raises the glass to peer through it's bottom to the other side, "something is very wrong, very-very wrong."

June quirks a brow at the glass now, she didn't see any signs of dish-soap still being in the glass.

"Um, I'm sorry if the water sucked..." She concludes as she sets the glass down again.

She rubs her head when he begins to smile at her.

_**What's so funny, I don't understand.**_

"My name is Sheike." He whispers to her before walking toward the door again.

June lowers her hand slightly when he pulls the shop door open, "n-nice meeting you."

He turns to her again as the door begins to close, when their eyes meet June is reminded of the night before, those empty silver eyes...

"Nice meeting you as well, June."

_**What a strange man, but...**_

"Wait, where you from!?" She calls as she rushes around the counter, she reaches door only for it to slam shut in her face, she pulls it open again but he was no longer there.

"What..." She leans over to get a better look at the surrounding area, she could see no signs of him, or anything else really, the rain from the night before still fell. "How weird."

She backs into the shop again when a gust of wind pushes water into the house, she closes the door before turning her back to it.

The warm little home no longer seemed so friendly, the rain falling outside, and the presence of the strange man made June feel uneasy at being home alone.

_**Please Cloud, come home...**_

She looks to the door again as her mind begins to wander.

_**That man looks like he could crush me with just a thought...**_

Suddenly the phone starts to ring and June is shocked out of her mind, she growls at it as it cries for her attention.

"You know what, I'm going to Tifa's." She hisses at it as she moves for the stairs.

_**Next: Anytime He Goes Away.**_

"


	2. Chapter 2

-Anytime He Goes Away-

_**Rebuilding Gaia was hard.**_

_**So many things destroyed, so many people's lives stolen away...**_

_**I thought we'd never get it together, at least not here in Edge.**_

_**But then, something amazing happened.**_

"Two beers coming right up!"

June watches from the bar as Tifa scurries the drinks over to two male customers, they raise their mugs to her and she smiles.

**_We finally raised enough money to rebuild the 7th Heaven, it took a lot of work but we made it, and somehow...Edge just came alive again._**

Tifa turns to June with her smile still in place, "see, week-days are great...but the weekend." She slaps her her hand to her forehead as she walks over to the bar.

"Yes, I can sympathize. We get more orders on the weekends as well." June mutters turning to her, "it seems that the people who come here and cut up, are the ones who call us with a hangover the next morning."

Tifa laughs as she tucks a large tray under her arm, "hangover meds...you got those." She turns her head to June as she makes her way over to the sink.

June nods and Tifa smiles.

"How much for a few bottles?" Tifa turns to June while folding her arms.

June closes an eye as she seems to think up a price, Tifa raises a brow when June clasps her hands together.

"As a partner, you get 45% off and free shipping, I can just bring it over!" June sings as she begins twisting her body back in forth.

Tifa raises her fist, "deal!"

June raises hers as well and they bump their upper wrists together.

**_After defeating...him...things got pretty awkward within the group, I guess we could pay more attention to the changing dynamics happening within. Tifa wasn't used to Cloud being so private with her, and being so close to me...we went through a sort of dry spell but things changed and I can honestly say, Tifa's one of my greatest friends._**

Tifa smiles when June pulls her arm away, "so...what brings you here so early, Cloud passed out in bed again?"

June smiles.

"No, he's just doing deliveries again."

Tifa nods, "I knew something was up, you two don't seem to be interested in anything but each other."

A blush buds at June's cheeks when Tifa goes back to the sink, she looks back at June as if expecting protest but June's blush said it all.

"It's not like that...it's just that...um..."

"No need to explain yourself, I understand. A person's first love is like the most important thing in the world to them. You guys are gonna be like velcro for a while to come."

**_I sure hope so._**

June waves her hand when Tifa gives her a knowing smile, she didn't want to talk about Cloud the whole time she was at the bar.

"So how's everything with the rest-."

"Hey, Tifa could you turn the TV up?"

Tifa nods to the customer as she makes her way over to the television at the corner of the room, she bends down before it as she pushed her fingers against its front panel.

Immediately, the bar is filled with the hate-filled chants of the anti-Shinranites.

"Ugh, their at it again?" June groans when Tifa rejoins her at the bar.

Tifa shrugs when the screen shows the image of a haggard looking Rufus Shinra, he was hunched over the podium in a way that made June feel quite badly for him.

Yeah, rebuilding the bar was hard. But rebuilding the people's trust in the Shinra is an ongoing battle. No matter how many facts are shown to them about the whole Life stream incident, they refuse to believe.

"I just wished they'd stop this." June looks to Tifa for her approval but Tifa only shrugs again.

"You have to remember June, Rufus wasn't like this forever, I have to admit that even I sometimes feel bitter toward him."

Tifa grabs a rag from the sink before taking it to the counter, "it's easy you know, when things get hard...when I'm tired of working or just...just feeling down. It's easy to blame it all in the darn Shinra but...it's not right and it's not healthy, but I get it."

June sighs at the sad sight on the screen.

**_I guess I get it too, sometimes to get away from our own demons, we find others to place our pain on. It sucks, but we're only human_**

June looks across the bar to the open window near the door, the sun was dimming and a cool breeze pushed into the bar from the outside.

**_Almost time to get home._**

As she goes to tell Tifa of this, a large gust of wind comes barreling into the bar, with it came a pile of golden leaves.

"Oh no." Tifa whispers tossing the rag aside.

June pushes herself to her feet when Tifa rushes over to the pile, "um...have fun with that... I'm gonna go home now ok?"

Tifa nods to her as she makes her way over to the door, June waves to the men before stepping out of the bar.

**_I like to get home early on days Cloud's not home, maybe in hope that he'll actually be there._**

June bends down to put her hands to the ground, under her fingers a large cobalt colored glyph appears.

Almost immediately, Bahamut lands before her, she smiles up at him when he folds his arms.

**_Yes, he gets annoyed with me. Recently, I've been calling him for the silliest things... I just like the company._**

"Hey, what's up Hammy?"

He growls at her as she climbs his back.

**_He's not that into that nickname, but I think it's adorable..._**

"Oh lighten up." June mutters as she grips his back. "There are much worse things I could come up with."

Bahamut snorts as he kicks into the air, June holds him tighter when they rise high into the air.

June closes her eyes when a frigid breeze pushes against them, Fall was leaving them rather quickly, but she didn't mind.

**_I associate good things with Winter..._**

"You know Bahamut-."

June's heart jumps when her phone vibrates in her pocket, she reaches in immediately to answer it but when she places it to her ear, she's assaulted by Yuffie's shouts.

"June you would never believe what I found-."

June pulls the phone away as she releases a heavy sigh of disappointment, she wasn't angry with Yuffie but she expected to hear Cloud's voice at the other end of the line.

She brings the phone back to ear when Yuffie's shouts become even louder.

"Yuff-"

"You have to get here June, come to the Ruin in Gongaga!"

**_The Ruin in Gongaga..._**

June pats Bahamut on the back and he changes his course immediately, though she wanted to be home for Cloud, she knew that most likely he wouldn't be there.

* * *

"Hey-!"

June looks down at Yuffie who waved her hands over her head from her place near the entrance of the ruin, June pushes her hand into Bahamut's back and he stoops toward the ground, once close enough, June slides off his back.

He circles around once more as June waves him goodbye, when he disappears into the clouds, June turns to Yuffie expectantly.

"So what's going on?"

Yuffie points to the cave, "let's just go in."

June looks at her apprehensively as she makes her way over to the cave, when she reaches the mouth she stops to take in her surroundings.

Just like the scanner had shown, the caves walls were a shimmering shade of white, the glittering of it's walls seemed to drown the cave in false light.

**_Too dark._**

She goes to her side to retrieve her phone but Yuffie beats her to it, from Yuffie's scanner a brilliant stream of light pours into the ruin.

At once the caves walls light up, the light was almost too bright to look at, June brings her hand over her eyes but it does little to help.

"See."

June peeks at the walls from behind her hand, on the walls she could see thrashes and rips, they didn't seem to be from natural erosion.

"Weird, it's like something just...went ballistic in here." June murmurs as Yuffie rushes past her and further into the cave.

"Yeah." Yuffie nods. "And remember when we saw the people in here, well look!"

She bends down to pick up a scrap of blue fabric, she rubs it between her fingers before allowing it to fall again.

"So people were here..."

Yuffie backs into the caves walls as she begins snapping pictures of the ruin with her scanner, "yup, not Shinra members either...this place isn't on any map, I checked."

June turns to the distressed walls, she places her hands against them and somehow, she's filled with a great sense of dread.

**_This cave feels so strange, it's such a find...but why am I not happy? We should be getting paid nicely for this, and Yuffie'll get the recognition that she wants...but..._**

"Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone about this right away," June murmurs turning to Yuffie, she sighs when Yuffie's eyes widen, "just hear me out..."

She turns to the wall again, "I don't want anyone coming here until we can figure out what's going on,what if it's dangerous."

Yuffie sighs, "but...then we won't get the cred."

June nods, "I understand, but let's just make sure it's safe before bringing other people here, those people from the other night...they may come back, and when they do...we should be here. For all we know, it could be some trouble makers."

"But June look at these walls, their amazing!"

**_They are._**

"OK, how about this. Let's get a sample of the broken wall and send it to Shera and Rima, I'm sure they'll be able to tell us something about it." June turns to Yuffie with a nod.

Yuffie shrugs, "whatever you say June."

She turns away to snap more pictures, June looks toward the exit as the snapping behind her lulls her into deeper thoughts.

**_I'm not sure why this place scares me so much, or why those people did either. But...it's a fact, I don't like this cave and I don't care that much about the money. There are just some places, that we...should never go._**

Suddenly June's phone begins to vibrate in her pocket, she yanks it out to answer it immediately.

"Hello, Cloud I-."

Her words are over taken by the sound of static on the other line, June pulls the phone away in confusion.

**_This has happened many times before, we still haven't figured out why...but it's pretty creepy._**

"It's happening again," June whispers closing the phone.

She turns to the caves exit, she couldn't put her finger on it, but she could feel something brewing...

* * *

Once home, June is met with the ringing phone and an inbox full of voicemail. she presses the play button as she makes her way over to the kitchen.

"Hey June, it's me...Reno...how ya doin!? Your man's not home is he? Good, I'll be coming through tomorrow, so dress up for me!"

June rolls her eyes as she pulls the leftover pot of soup from the refrigerator.

"Ok, I'd like to make an order, 1 Tuft of Phoenix Down, 3 Hi-Potions, and 6 Elixirs. My name is Patricia and I live at 1107 Way Point, Kalm."

"Eh, why don't you assholes ever pick up the phone!"

"Sorry Cid," June whispers as she stirs the contents of the pot.

**_Just as I expected, Cloud isn't home...and most likely he won't be home for a long time..._**

Before long, the soup is reheated and June sets herself at the table as she begins to sip on it from a spoon, she looks toward the stairs when she hears a familiar rushing noise.

**_Raining again..._**

"Hey there June, it's uh me...Shoji. Hey listen, I'm sorry about the other day...can I make it up to you? With more Goblin Malts!"

**_That kid._**

June pushes the half empty bowl of soup away as she makes her way to the stairs, though the voicemail still played she didn't care for anything it would play for her, Cloud didn't leave voice mail.

June kicks off her boots as she closes in on her lonely bed, upon her head hitting the pillows she's reminded once again of Cloud's absence.

**_I never use pillows._**

June glances to Cloud's side of the bed, she grabs a pillow pulling it closer, "I'll use these pillows as lonely women are supposed to," she wraps her arms tightly around it as she closes her eyes.

Entering the dream world was rather easy, but staying there was another story, she tossed and turned until the next morning.

June tosses her plush bed buddy aside as she looks to the window, she could feel that it was morning but no sunlight came through the window, June's ears perk up when she hears the soft pitter patter of rain from the outside.

"Still raining." She whispers folding her arms across her lap.

She looks to the other side of the bed where her cellphone lay silent, she pulls it to her face as she begins searching for messages.

** 3 New Messages**

_Denzel: June you'd never guess what Barret and I found! The Goblin City, pretty cool. I'm gonna send you the coordinates, they're as much your fan as you are theirs._

_Cid: PICK UP THE GOD-DAMNED PHONE!_

_Rima: June we got the sample, it may take a few days to fully analyze it but we'll try to move quickly._

June sighs as she tosses the phone aside, "no Cloud."

She kicks the covers back before crawling out of the bed to go downstairs, the phone was surprisingly silent there as well.

"This is weird."

**_Cloud calls every day he's away, and if he can't call...he'll leave a message...Cloud._**

June rubs her arm as she looks the front hall over, "maybe...it's the weather...maybe he can't call."

At first, this thought is enough to comfort her, it comforts her for days, but eventually that comfort melts away.

Four days later, June stood at the front counter of the shop, her eyes glued to the door. She didn't understand, why hadn't Cloud come home, or called, why hadn't anyone else heard from him either...

She had spoken to almost all of Avalanche, but they hadn't seen or heard from Cloud, that was enough to worry her, but then the phone calls began.

"Hello, thanks for calling In the Speed of Strife, June sp-"

"Hey there June, um this is Christina Rena...um...I've been waiting for the delivery boy...um he hasn't shown up, is there a reason for that?"

June looks to the calender on the wall nearest to her, Christina's order had been sent out with Cloud, she didn't understand why it hadn't made it to her yet.

"Uh...let me see," June goes under the counter for her cell phone, she dials Cloud's number but she already knew what would happen.

"Leave a message," Cloud mutters into her ear.

June lowers the phone as she looks to the calender again, every time she called his phone all she got was his voicemail, which in itself wasn't very surprising.

"Christina, I'm sorry for the hold up...um how about this, if he's not there by the end of the day, it's free."

After hanging up with Christina, the phone begins to light up with the calls of unhappy customers, one by one, June tries to placate them, which ends of draining her even more.

"Nobody got their stuff." She moans into her hands when she hangs up the phone for the last time, she looks toward the rain covered window at the far corner of the room, "Cloud...where have you gone?"

June goes into her pocket to get her cellphone, she dials Cid's number and he picks up on the first ring.

"Oh so now you-."

"Cid, have you seen or heard from Cloud?" June whispers turning to the kitchen.

"Ah, actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about. He was on his way to the Western Continent last I saw him, he seemed to be acting pretty weird, thought you two had some sort of fight...he kept messing with that damned phone."

At his words, June's stomach begins to churn, "acting weird...how long ago was this?"

"Ah about...3 or 4 days ago!"

June sighs.

**_By now he could be anywhere._**

"Cid I have a favor to ask of you, could you look for him for me, you don't have to go out of your way or anything, just...keep an eye out." June wraps her arms around her stomach as it begins to churn again.

"June you sound funny, are you OK?"

June nods when her throat begins to ache with the pain of withheld tears, something was wrong, she could just feel it.

"I'm fine Cid, I'm just...a little tired...talk to you later OK?"

She closes the phone before he says anything more, she drops the phone on the counter, worry was now over taking her, she wanted to go out and search herself, but she didn't want to over-react either.

"Cloud..."

**_So once again, like a good girl...I wait. I wait for him to return, but waiting did nothing for my peace of mind, crazy things started to run through my mind._**

**_Was he with someone else?_**

**_Had he just grown tired of me?_**

**_I contemplated these things over and over, but then..._**

"273 Gil." The woman at the register murmurs to June in a deadened tone.

June smiles at her as she goes into her pocket, she counts the Gil out in her hand before passing it to the woman.

"Thank you, have a nice day." The woman rips a receipt from the cash register as June lifts her bag full of groceries from the conveyor belt.

"Thank you, and you too." June sings as she makes her way over to the exit.

As she steps outside, she feels a familiar jerking sensation in her back pocket, she presses her tongue to her top lip as she reaches into her pocket to answer the phone, but there was only one text message.

**Cloud: June come home quick, I'm here.**

A smile builds at June's lips, "he's home."

She closes her arms around the groceries again as she rushes down the street, though Cloud had some 'splaining' to do, she would worry about that later, she just wanted to see him.

As she makes her way further down the street another message comes through.

**Cloud: I've missed you so much.**

June's smile grows as more messages pour into her inbox.

**Cloud: Please, I need you here now.**

** I love you.**

**I just want to be with you right now.**

** Are you close by?**

June almost breaks the door down when she enters the shop, but what she finds isn't a love-lorn Cloud.

"W-what..." She utters as she looks over the wreckage that was once her home. "What happened?"

The shop had been turned upside down, literally, things were crushed and tossed about without any care.

"Cloud..."

June stumbles over the broken cash register as she makes her way further into the shop, that's when she notices someone else at the counter.

A woman was crouched down behind it, she sifted through miscellaneous items on the floor, upon seeing her, June is reminded of the the man from before.

The woman's long blue-silver bangs fell into her face as she tore through June's belongings, her hair was short in the back, it allowed a silver tattoo to been seen on her neck, she wore a similar body suit to the man before.

"Hey, what are you doing?" June calls to the woman.

The woman turns as if surprised, but her shocked expression is quickly replaced by a sly smirk, her silver eyes light up as she gets to her feet.

"Oh, so you're the one Sheik spoke of." The woman whispers in a cold drawl. "How cute."

June cocks her head when the woman begins to look her over, "did you do this...why?"

The woman shrugs but she raises her hand to show Cloud's cell phone, June gasps when the woman begins to grin.

"Where did you get that?" She whispers as she stumbles closer to the counter.

The woman smirks at the phone, "oh this old thing, I got it from a man near that glowing forest...he put up quite the fight."

June's blood runs cold, "you...hurt him?"

"Eh, he deserved it...he's a dirty one. But no matter right, they don't matter. I have a question for you."

June backs away when the woman jumps onto the counter, she bends down to look more closely at June.

"Where is it?"

June stares into the woman's cold silver eyes expecting her to say more, but the woman does not.

"What are you talking about...where is Cloud!?"

The woman grins even deeper, "oh so you don't want to tell me, fine." She throws a leg over the counter as she sits down, "but don't you want to know where he is...?"

June looks at the cell phone in the woman's hand, "where is he!?"

"Where is it!?"

June growls at the woman in frustration, "I don't know, and I don't care what you're talking about, where is Cloud!?"

The woman sighs, "you really wanna know...dead and gone," June shakes her head in disbelief as the woman slinks off the counter to stand before her. She raises the phone toward June, "crushed," with this she crushes the phone in her hand.

"Y-you." June tosses the groceries aside when the woman smiles at her, she felt as though she was mocking her, and it was enough to make her angry. "You shouldn't have-."

June throws an earth covered fist toward the woman, but she manages to jump away, June gasps when the woman attaches to the ceiling by her feet.

"So a fight is what you want?" She calls.

June backs away when the woman kicks away from the ceiling to attack her from above, at once their tangled in match of tug o' war, both fighting for dominance.

Eventually the woman grows tired and she kicks June into the wall near the counter, June hits the wall but she uses her hands to guard against the impact, she grunts when she hears the woman coming up behind her.

June looks above her, the Buster Sword sat mounted in the wall above her.

**_I don't want to do too much, the shop is in a bad place as it is._**

As the woman draws closer, June grabs the sword and swings it around, the woman screams when she's knocked aside by the blunt force. June allows the sword to fall from her hands as she moves closer to the woman, "now...where is h-"

She's cut off by the woman kicking her into the wall again, June groans when sharp pain shoots up her spine, the pain was enough to get her even angrier.

The woman grabs a broken chair from the ground as she rushes for June again, but when she gets close enough, she's met with barrel-end of June's gun.

"Take this." June shouts as she begins pumping out of rounds of ammo, the woman tries to use the chair as a shield but the bullets rip through the wood with ease, June presses a button at the side of the gun and it disconnects, turning into two.

"Stay still!" June cries as the woman begins to run along the walls, every bullet that misses tears a hole into the wall. "Ugh, no!"

Suddenly the woman lunges for her, and they're sent into the wall, this time however, the woman held weapons of her own, she pushes two blades into June's guns as they struggle for dominance again.

"Just lay down." The woman grunts.

June shakes her head and the woman chuckles.

"As you wish."

She pulls an arm back as she readies herself to impale June, but June bends down in time to dodge the woman's attack.

"You're gonna like this." June whispers pushing her guns into the floor, the woman tries to move away but she enveloped in a beam of non-elemental magic.

When the light clears, the woman's smile had been sufficiently wiped away.

"I'll kill you!"

June braces herself for the woman's attack but before she manages to react, she feels another presence in the room.

"Lluva, how messy."

The woman comes to a halt at the sound of the voice, June also takes notice, she could feel someone behind her but as she turns, she feels a sharp pain at the back of her head, immediately the world begins to blur around her.

"Sheik, why are you here...I was just about to win."

June tries to protest but for some reason her body wouldn't cooperate with her, she falls to her knees as the world turns black.

"Looks like you were struggling a bit to me."

"Yeah right, come on...let's take her and make her talk."

"Whatever you say."

**_Take me, make me talk?_**

**_About what?_**

**_What...do they want?_**

Silence follows her thoughts, it becomes eerily silent, but pretty soon someone steps near her.

June tries to struggle when they lift her into their arms, but her body wouldn't listen to her.

"June it's OK, we gotcha!"

**_Cid?_**

**_We?_**

Cid turns to Vincent when he lifts June into his arms, "damn, this place sure has taken a beatin', those people...they're gone?"

Vincent nods as the make their way to the door, "just...disappeared."

Cid looks down at June again, "dammit girl, left alone for too long and you found trouble...let's get her to Tifa's."

**_Found trouble?_**

**_Trouble found me...ugh why can't I talk!?_**

**_Lluva...that woman...what did she do?_**

**_So many questions and no answers, Cloud...where are you._**

Next: The Drawing Board.

"


	3. Chapter 3

-The Drawing Board-

"Hmmmm, you seem to have gotten into quite the fight."

Tifa watches the sleeping June as she pushes a tray covered in piping hot food onto the nightstand next to the bed June occupied.

**_Seems like she's not gonna be getting up any time soon._**

Tifa leans over to feel the back of June's head, she grimaces when her fingers brush a large lump at it's base.

**_That's gonna suck when you wake up._**

"Let's hope the guys can find the people who did this before Cloud comes home," she looks to the door as the entire debacle plays out in her mind, "but where is he, this isn't like him at-, nevermind."

She'd noticed that Cloud had changed a lot in the past year, he called June multiple times a day sometimes, he even called the bar more often but he was still Cloud, and sometimes Cloud forgot about just how much people cared for him.

Tifa's brows furrow when the bedroom door slowly creaks open, Denzel peeks his head in and Marlene's appear in the space below his.

"She ok?" They whisper in unison.

Tifa pulls her hand away from June's lump as she gives the kids a reassuring smile, "yeah, just exhausted is all."'

Marlene pushes past Denzel to enter the room and he follows, Tifa puts a finger to her lips as they surround the bed.

"She doesn't look too bad," Denzel utters and Marlene nods.

Tifa shrugs a shoulder.

**_Tell that to the back of her head._**

"What happened, who did this?" Denzel walks around the bed to bend down closest to June's head, he looks up at Tifa when she doesn't answer him.

"We don't know yet." She breathes. "Vincent and Cid just said that there were some strange people in the house when they got there, but when they started to say something...they just disappeared."

"Disappeared..." Marlene whispers looking up at Tifa with wide eyes, Tifa nods.

She unfolds her arms but brings them up again as she racks her mind for a more believable explanation.

**_People don't just disappear...not normal ones anyway...makes you wonder...who did June run into, and why?_**

"Hey...she's moving!"

Tifa moves closer to the bed as Denzel crawls to his feet.

June brings her hands to her forehead, she groans in pain, "ow...what the heck is this...my head."

She lowers her arms as she turns to the look at the surrounding group, Tifa sighs when she smiles at the children.

"Aw...you guys look so concerned."

June pushes herself upward as the kids fall onto the bed next to her, when she rises, her pain level does as well. Her head felt like it was being pounded at by rocks, it made her vision blur and her stomach churn, she winces when a small spot at the top of her head throbs.

"I feel like...crap." She places her hands together as she builds up energy for a curative spell, she opens her hands to allow the spell to wash over her body, almost immediately the pain is dulled.

"Much better," she sighs laying on the bed again.

Tifa sits at the edge of the bed when June begins to feel at the sore spot atop her head, "June...what happened-."

Suddenly, June shoots up in the bed, she brings her hands to her face as the memory of her previous battle begins to play out in her mind.

"Those...people..." She throws her legs over the side of the bed, "they...they destroyed everything...the shop...my home."

She pushes her hands into her lap as the memory deepens, "and...and Cloud...where is he...what did they do!?"

Tifa frowns when June clenches his fists against her lap, her body shook as if she were ready to cry but no tears came.

"June, what do you mean?" Tifa pulls away from the bed to stand before June. "What did they do to Cloud?"

**_Crushed._**

"They...hurt him..." June whispers as she gets to her feet. "That woman...she..."

**_He put up quite the fight..._**

June winces when the image of the woman's smile appears in her mind's eye, she tries to push the image away but it seemed to be burned into her brain now.

**_Lluva...that was what he called her...Lluva..._**

"Those people, they did something to Cloud..."

**_That's why he hasn't come home._**

"We have to find him," June walks over to the door but as she places her hand at the knob, Tifa rushes between her and the door.

June looks up in confusion as Tifa pulls her hand away, "June," she folds her arms as June places her hand at her hips.

"You're in no condition to go looking for anyone, it's best that we let the others know so that they can start the search, do you know where he may be?"

June brings her hands to her pounding head, she didn't want to argue with Tifa, it would just aggravate her headache, but she wanted to go look for Cloud.

**_I can't believe I waited this long._**

"June?"

June backs away from Tifa when she reaches for her, some part of her was almost angry with Tifa, she knew that Tifa wasn't the reason for her condition, but right now Tifa was a big brick wall in the way of what she felt she needed to do.

When another throbbing wave works it's way through her body, all of the get up and go she tried to hold onto so tightly is pulled from her.

"Fine...she said that she met him in some glowing forest."

With this, June falls back into bed, she turns to the wall as the headache grows stronger.

Tifa places her hands at her hips, "OK June, I'll let them know." She turns to leave as June drags a pillow over her head, as she opens the door she motions for the children to follow her, Marlene and Denzel creep around June and over to the door. "Don't worry June, we will find him."

Tifa stands there for a moment, waiting for June to reply to her attempt at comforting her, but June doesn't budge, Tifa sighs as she steps out of the room.

**_Don't worry, we will find him._**

**_What if there is nothing left to-._**

June cringes when Lluva's laughter ambushes her mind, the harsh sound seems to overtake her thoughts and scramble them.

**_What if he can't be..._**

**_What if...what if..._**

June fights against the urge to yawn as her thoughts break up and scramble even more, she sighs closing her eyes, maybe she was just sleepy.

Though Lluva's laughter poked and prodded to keep her awake, June falls into dreamless sleep and stays that way for some time.

The next morning, June awakens to the smell of freshly cooked breakfast, the tantalizing smell of eggs and bacon sends her stomach into immediate frenzy, she places her hand on her stomach as she turns her gaze to the nightstand near her bed.

"There's the culprit." She sighs when her eyes land on a steaming plate of food.

She pushes herself into upright position at the command of her roaring stomach, she reaches over taking hold of the plate and as soon as it hits her lap, she digs in.

Once the plate is sufficiently scraped clean, June's mind resettles into worrying about Cloud.

**_My head doesn't hurt anymore, I'm pretty well rested...I can-._**

"Tee-hee...do it again!"

June looks to the window, "Marlene..."

"Hee-hee that's so cool!"

June throws her legs over the side of the bed as Marlene's laughter continues to float up into her room's window, hearing Marlene laugh that way gave June hope, not that Marlene wasn't a happy child, she was just at her happiest when Cloud came home, he always had something new to show her.

June stumbles over to the window, from where she stood all she could see was Marlene bent down in the decaying grass at the side of the bar, she reached her hands out for something June could not see.

**_Please..._**

With the last delighted giggle June pulls herself away from the window and out of the bedroom, she bounds quickly down the stairs, managing to elude Tifa's watchful eye.

June rushes out of the bar and over to where she'd seen Marlene, at first her heart fluttered with hope and excitement but upon reaching her destination those good feelings leave her.

Marlene sat in the grass with another child, the girls face was hidden by thick silvery bangs as she and Marlene gazed into the earth as If watching something.

June leans over to get a better look at the child but seemingly on purpose she turns her head away, at this moment Marlene notices June.

"You're awake!" She breathes as she pushes herself to her feet.

"Yeah," June murmurs as she moves closer to the children, she nods to the girl before looking at Marlene for an explanation.

Marlene smiles at her new playmate, "oh this is...well I don't know her name."

June tries once more to catch a glimpse of the child's face, but once again, she manages to shrink away..

"Hi there, my name is June...um...what's yours?"

The girl lowers her head, June frowns when she notices the corners of the girls mouth twitching upward.

"Little girl-"

"Ramada, but...you already know that don't you?"

June backs away as the girl crawls to her feet, she uses both of her hands to flip her hair backward, when she does, her cold silver eyes reach up to meet June's.

June turns her head slightly to Marlene as she prepares to back away from the girl.

_**Why do I always run into the weird ones, first Shoji...now...**_

"Can't you hear it...mama's call?"

Marlene pushes closer to June at this, suddenly the energy surrounding the area had changed, no longer did this little girl seem so innocent.

"No matter, it'll all be over soon anyway." Ramada mutters turning away, she glances back at June with a watery smile, "you won't be able to make it...like this, we need her...all of us."

With this, she walks away.

June grits her teeth as the girl makes it further and further away, part of her wanted to chase after the girl, after all she was just a child, one with no parental figure in sight, but her words made June nervous.

**_Mama...is she looking for her mother? But those things she said...they were too weird..._**

"Marlene."

Marlene nods when June bends down before her, she places her hands at her shoulders looking her in the eye.

"Yeah June?"

"No more playing with strange kids...OK?"

Marlene turns to look at the spot in the earth where Ramada had been sitting, she shrugs a shoulder, "yeah...ok...but...she came to me, she asked me about...the condition of the planet," Marlene turns to June now, "I didn't know how to answer her so I just kinda changed the subject."

June sighs as she pushes herself to her full height, it was official now, that girl wasn't normal, not that her eyes and hair didn't give that away already.

**_Her eyes, they were just like Lluva's..._**

"Well whatever the case, no speaking to her should she come back."

Marlene nods to June as they make their way back to bar, she stares up at June with apologetic eyes.

She had been told very specifically to leave June alone for the day, especially if Cloud didn't show up.

"He-"

Marlene stops short, asking about Cloud probably would just make June sad, well sadder than she already looked to be.

Even though the adults thought that Marlene was safely nestled in the thin blanket of childhood innocence, she understood completely what was happening.

She peeks up at June again, through June's long bangs she could see her tired eyes, even though she'd slept all day, she looked so worn.

June glances down at her as she reaches for the bar door but Marlene cuts in her way, she pulls the door open for her.

"After you."

June cocks her head when Marlene gives her a light smile, though it was sweet and simple gesture, Marlene's eagerness to do it was a little strange to her.

"Marlene-"

"Oh no you don't, where do you two think you're going? "

June sighs when Tifa approaches them holding a damp dish rag, she tosses it over her shoulder with a short sigh.

June shrugs a shoulder, "it's my fault, I thought I heard Cloud out here with her..." Tifa's harsh gaze falls away when June begins backing into the bar, "but...he...isn't here so..."

June reaches up to grab a stray lock of hair, out of her growing anxiety she begins to tug gently at it, so many horrible thoughts coursed through her mind, what if he had really been crushed?

_**But Cloud...not him...Cloud could never...**_

Her hero?

She shakes her head as she pushes the disturbing thought away, "no way."

Tifa leans forward when June's breathy whisper fails to reach her, "June-."

"I'm going to find him." June mutters abruptly. "There is no way, no way that he...," she pauses as her fingers begin to twist furiously at her ebony strands, "just no way."

She turns to rush upstairs, Tifa glances at Marlene before following after June to her room, once there she's shocked at the speed in which June moves about.

"June..."

She glances at up Tifa as she pushes bullets into her gun.

"June you can't...not li-."

She pauses when June's eyes turn into angry slits, she puts her hands to her chest as she edges around the bed toward Tifa.

"I can't...what do you mean I can't...he's out there somewhere...probably dead and I...I can't."

"June, Cid and Vincent are-."

"I didn't when he first fell off the map...I didn't help him then and now," she whimpers as tears fill her eyes, "I let him...go away."

She falls onto the bed when the tears begin to fall freely, she pushes her palms into her eyes to hide them but they still fell.

**_I hate this...June of a year ago, weak June...cry baby June...she's still here._**

**_After defeating Sephiroth, I felt so strong and so new. I promised myself that I would never let anyone do that to me again, make me give in, make me cry... but here I am._**

"I-I need him, I need him with me." She whispers. "Without him..."

_**A year ago, I found my own strength...or so I thought.**_

Tifa bends down next to June, she places her hand against June's arm but she shrugs away, Tifa sighs.

"June, Cloud is...they're gonna find him. You told me, that woman at your place...she knew where he wa-"

"Lluva."

June pushes herself to her feet again, if she was going to find Cloud, she needed to see Lluva again, she needed to know what really happened to him.

"I have to find her." June whispers as she places her gun at her side, she rushes for the door but Tifa beats her to it.

"June!" Tifa's own stress was now beginning to show through. "You cannot, look at you...you're still not all the way together from the last fight."

_**It'll be different this time, this time I don't have a home to worry about. It's gone already.**_

"Tifa, I'm going." June ducks under Tifa's arm and out of the room.

Tifa turns to protest but June had already rushed down the stairs and out of the bar, Marlene climbs the stairs slowly, when she comes face to face with Tifa, both of their worries are amplified.

"I've got to call Cid," Tifa murmurs rushing down the stairs.

_**The Sleeping Forest, I've been only once before. Cloud took me on a delivery with him...it's not a place I thought I'd ever go again...I hated it...but I think he liked me clinging to him that way...**_

June scans the forest top with her eyes from atop her Mat-Board, she sighs when nothing immediately jumps out at her from where she flew, she bends down on the board as she pulls her scanner from her side, she presses the power button and the scanner lights up, a wave of sparkling white light falls from the scanner over the forest.

June raises the scanner closer to her face as the image of glowing trees appears on the scanner's display screen, she moves it about but she only catches sight of more trees.

"Please..."

She wanted to find Cloud, but not like this.

She hoped for him to be in the forest, but what would that mean?

Pressing closer to the scanner she wills the board to slowly move forward over the forest, "nothing...nothing...no-."

"Hahahahahaha, missing me already?!"

June gasps when a female figure appears on the scanner, she waves to scanner and her voice is emitted through it's speaker.

"Looking for your lover hm?"

June reaches for her gun when the figure's arms fall and they begin to stare directly into the scanner.

"How far will you go...how long will you lie, to protect this little hovel of a planet? How many of their tainted men will you allow to touch you...humph, mama's not gonna be happy with you little one. Especially since you seem to want her dead!"

At this moment, the crazed voice registers in June's mind, she yanks her gun from her hip, "Lluva..."

"I heard your call for me little one, I heard your cries of the unfairness of this all! Mama told you and that thing, that one day...this day would come, this is our time so why do you fight it?"

"Where is he?"

"You've become like them little one, and for that you deserve the highest punishment. As High Judge, I condemn you to death!"

Suddenly, Lluva disappears from the scanners display screen, June presses the power button as she scans the surrounding area with her eyes.

"Lluva!"

June leans over the board but a cold air behind her causes her to freeze in place, she feels the cold sensation of frozen fingers running down her back.

"Looking for me?"

Lluva yanks June backward by her hair as she presses one of her long blades to June's neck, she smiles when June struggles against her.

"Goodbye now."

Lluva pushes the blade forward but a thick sheet of ice forms a wall between her blade and June's neck, she growls when her blade is repelled. June takes this chance to push Lluva away from her and off of the board, Lluva however, manages to grab hold of the boards edge.

"Where is he!?" June roars at her as she raises her gun.

Lluva raises her head to look her in the eye, her lips curl into a cruel grin, "dead."

Shock and anger cause June to fire rounds at the side of the board, Lluva growls releasing her hold of the board but as she falls, she shoves her blade into the board's bottom, it causes a tiny explosion and both and she and June plummet from the sky.

Upon hitting the ground, June's headache from the day before comes back full force, she groans when the world begin to pulsate around her, she tries to push herself upward but that was impossible now, she whimpers when she hears movement near her.

_**I cannot die here.**_

"Little one." Lluva sings from above her.

In a rush of blind fear, June raises her hand and a large spike of ice rises from the earth, she brings her hand to the ground and it opens under her as a current pushes from it's core, the water forces June to her feet to fight Lluva.

"No help this time...hmmm?"

Lluva rushes to June blade in hand but June manages to dodge her attack, she turns placing her gun to Lluva's head, her inner fear is the only thing that keeps her from pulling the trigger.

"W-where is Cloud!?"

Lluva laughs as she pulls away from the June, June grabs her head as Lluva's voice cuts into her eardrums.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

With this, June separates her gun into two, she fires blindly at Lluva and because of this, Lluva manages to dodge every one, June growls as she begins to reload her gun.

Lluva takes this chance to rush June, but a dark blue glyph appearing under her feet brings her to an abrupt halt, the glyph covers in black mist as it cracks open, a searing hot blue beam raises from the ground sending Lluva into the air, June raises her guns upward.

"A flying target, thanks Bahamut," June whispers as she fires at Lluva's suspended form, the open air warfare quickly turns into a blood bath as every bullet grazes Lluva's body, this seems to anger Lluva.

She disappears from view for a moment only to appear before June, she thrusts her blade into June's side as they both fall into one of the glowing trees, June gasps at the sharp pain that now enveloped her.

"I'll kill you!" Lluva hisses.

June pushes her hands into Lluva's face as they fight for dominance, though the world blurred around her, she wasn't going to die here, "not if I kill you first."

June's hands turn cold as she pushes ice into Lluva's face, her brows fill with flecks of icy snow as the ice reaches into her eyes, nose and mouth.

"Die!"

"You...first."

June struggles to stay conscious as the power struggle continues, but it seemed near impossible.

Lluva presses her face closer to June as she tries to fight the cold, their foreheads meet and the struggle deepens.

June could feel Lluva's will weaking, the ice reached for the inside of her skull, there was no way she'd survive for much longer, but neither could June with a sword in her side, Lluva's shudders and her lips turn blue but still she pushed on.

**_Enough!_**

A bright flash of light sparks between them and Lluva is sent flying into a tree, June slides down the tree she now seemed to be stuck to, Lluva groans getting to her hands and knees, she looks to the sky with wide eyes.

"Mama?" She whispers grabbing her face. "But why?"

June watches Lluva through the dark veil of near death when she begins to stand to her feet.

"I understand...sorry mama..."

Lluva pulls her hands away from her face and June is shocked by what she sees, she looked like she did before the fight began, there was no sign of injury, she glances at June with contempt.

"Don't get too comfortable little one, your sentence must still be carried out, and as High Judge...I will take the honor's of putting a traitor out of her misery."

She shoots June a dirty look before turning to leave the clearing, June tries once again to move but her body wouldn't listen.

No, don't go...we still have-

**_Rest little one._**

_**Wha-...who...**_

"June...June dammit pick up the phone!"

June looks to her side, her cellphone lay shattered on the ground next to her, she whispers when Cid yells to her from the speaker.

"We found him girl, now get your ass back home!"

June reaches for the phone but now only her fingers twitched, she pushes herself onto the earth near the phone.

"Sleeping...forest." She whispers.

"June...that you...June...what about the Sleeping Forest!?"

June grimaces in pain and annoyance, she didn't have the energy to speak anymore.

"June...we're on our way!"

**_Better hurry._**

**_Next: Lost and Found_**


End file.
